Bucket hoisting and tripping apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. E. LUDLOW. BUGKET HOISTING AND TRIPPING APPARATUS. No. 519,723.Patented May 15,1894.

milieu Ellualow (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. E. LUDLOW. BUCKET HOISTING AND TRIPPING APPARATUS.

No. 519,723. Patented May 15, 1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. LUDLOVV, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

BUCKET HOISTING AND TRIPPING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 519,723, dated May 15,1894.

Application filed May 6 1893. Serial No. 473,218. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. LUDLOW, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Bucket Hoisting andTripping Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame. 7

My invention relates to and the invention consists in the construction,combination and arrangements of parts, substantially as shown anddescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of hoistingand conveying apparatus in which my invention is comprised, and showingthe bucket in vertical central sectional elevation. Fig. 2, Sheet 2, isa side elevation, enlarged, of the mechanism more particularlyassociated with the two parts of the bucket and as said mechanismappears when the bottom of the bucket is in position as seen in Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is an elevation of said mechanism at right angles to the view inFig. 2, the parts thereof in the positions, relatively, shown in Figs. 1and 2, and hereinafter more particularly described. Fig. 4, Sheet 1, isan enlarged view of a section of the mechanism more particularlydesigned to support the bucket bottom and showing the means of conveyingthe load, and disclosing the means for engaging and disengaging saidparts. Fig. 5is an enlarged view of the drums shown in end elevation inFig. 1, and through which and the cables thereon the body of the bucketis controlled, as hereinafter described. Fig. 6 is a plan view of thesheaves at the top of the boom carrying the respective cables or ropeswhich support the two parts of the bucket.

The mechanism thus shown may, in a general way, be stated as having twofunctions and purposes, namely, to carry the bucket with its load to theunloading position, and when that position is reached to suspend thebody of the bucket from further movement while the bottom of the bucketis permitted to move on downward until the limit of its movement bereached, as seen in dotted lines ure shown, I lay no claim to novelty inthe other elements in themselves, such, for example, as the pivoted boomA, the frame-work B and cables (J by which the boom is supportedatahigher or lower elevation or swung about from point to point as iscustomary in such constructions.

D represents the body of the bucket, and E the bottom thereof. Thisbucket is of the variety having a movable bottonnso that the bucket isdischarged without the labor and inconvenience of dumping, as wasnecessary in the older style of buckets. Now, in order that the load maybe easily and speedily discharged when the bucket reaches itsdestination, I provide two distinct lines of suspensory and operatingmechanism, one for each part thereof. Thus the bottom E, upon whichpractically all the weight of the load rests, is controlled and carriedfrom the drum F in the power house, under the control of the engineer,and the cable G, passing over sheave g at the extremity of the boom, thesheave g, supported on the suspended mechanism I lower down, and thesheave g likewise on the boom but below sheave g, as seen in Figs. 1 and6. This cable has one end secured to the drum F and the other end to thesliding frame H, seen clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. The sheave g isjournaled centrallyin this frame, and the bottom E of the bucket issuspended therefrom by several parts forminga flexible connection andconsisting of the links it and h, the hook J, and the central carryingrod K, to the lower end of which the bottom of the bucket is rigidlyfixed. This rod has an eye at its upper end to engage over the hook J,and the said hook has a locking bolt j, to confine the said rod and ahandle 7.: controlling said bolt. The bucket body D likewise iscontrolled by the engineer in the engine or power house, in which islocated a drum 7 L, having another drum Z about half the diameterof'drum L at its side on the same shaft. On this smaller drum is a ropem passing over a sheave m and having a counterweight M on its outer end.A cable or rope N, fixed to and Wound about the drum L, passes oversheave at near the upper end of the boom and thence down and is attachedto the cross head 0, Figs. 2 and 3. The bucket body is suspended fromthis cross head through the two rods P, fixed rigidly in the ends ofsaid cross head 0 and having heads 19 at their lower ends upon which ispivotally swung the hanger 2. This hanger is substantially U shape,except that it has angular corners so as to give a horizontal crossportion for engagement by the two anchor shaped hooks S on the bail T ofthe bucket body D. This construction of hanger and hooks rendersconnecting and disconnecting of the bucket easy and convenient, becauseeither side of the bucket can be presented for engagement with thehanger with equal advantage. It will be noticed, now, that provision ismade for engagement and disengagement of the parts D and E of the bucketwith the supporting mechanism of each at different places and withsomewhat different means, but yet with practically equal facility sothat, as an empty bucket is left, a full one can be caught up andcarried forward to be unloaded without material loss of time in makingthe exchange. It will be noticed also that the frame H, from which thebucket bottom is suspended ,is supported and slides on the two parallelrods P, and the drop of said bottom in respect to the body D is fixedand limited, in this instance, by the heads 19 on the lower ends of saidrods.

Hence, when in the operations of the apparatus the body D is stopped atany given place to discharge, the other line of mechanism carryingbottom E continues to lower until the frame H is stopped at heads P, andthen the movement of this line also is stopped and the bucket is open todischarge its load. The engineer has control of both actions andmechanisms through the drums carrying the cables G and N, and a lever Zhaving a crank arm Z controls a friction brake strap Z over a narrowdrum Z at the side of large drum L. In this operation the counter-weightM is designed to be sufficient to take up the slack of rope N,especially after a load has been discharged and the parts of the bucketare brought back together again, and when the bucket is loaded anddescending to the place of discharge the downward pull on the bodycaused by the load causes the drum L to turn with this movement, and theweight Mto rise correspondingly.

The application of the brake mechanism Z, Z and Z arrests the movementsof these parts, as above described, and when the bucket is emptied allthe parts are carried up again by rope G and swung away for anotherload. The drum Z is shown here as only about half the diameter of drumL, so that the counterweight M will have, relatively, only a shortdistance to travel.

The hook J in the suspensory mechanism for the bucket, and moreparticularly for the bottom of the bucket, has the locking bolt orkeeperj supported in its head so as to slide up and down therein, andnormally is oown as in Fig. 4. The lever K is pivoted 1n the head of thehook and engages the upper end of the bolt. Obviously, other lockingmechanism might be substituted and be within the spirit of theinvention, but the special form of hook shown is deemed importantlargely on account of the great strength of the hook made as shown. Itwill be seen that the head of the hook is very strong as is also theshank lower down, while with the use of the bolt or keeper 3', astraight or almost straight hook portion j can be used, thus greatlyfacilitating the release of the link or carrying rod. K.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The bucket body and the bucket bottom and distinct lines ofsuspensory mechanism for each of said parts wholly above the bucket andhaving jointed connections, the mechanism supporting one of said partsof the bucket constructed to slide on the mechanism supporting the otherpart, separate cables for said mechanisms and bucket parts respectively,and separate drums and shafts for said cables, substantially as setforth.

2. The bucket body and mechanism situated above and apart therefrom anda jointed connection between said mechanism and said body, saidmechanism having guides and stops on the guides, in combination with thebucket bottom, a frame sliding on said guides from which said bottom issuspended, and separate cables for said bodyand bottom respectively,substantially as set forth.

3. A bucket body, and a supporting cable therefor and mechanismconnecting the cable with said body, in combination with the bucketbottom, a frame from which the bottom is suspended and having a sheavejournaled therein and a cable about said sheave serving to carry saidbottom, substantially as set forth.

4. The bucket bottom and the cable and mechanism carrying the bottom,said mechanism having one end of the cable fixed thereto and a sheave insaid mechanism over which the said cable passes, in combination with thebucket body and mechanism supporting said body constructed to guide andlimit the movements of the mechanism carrying the bottom, substantiallyas set forth.

5. The two separate mechanisms for sup porting the bucket, consisting ofa pair of guides rigidly connected at their top and having the bucketbody suspended from their ends and a supporting cable connected with thesaid guides, in combination with the bottom of the bucket and suspensoryframe therefor having a sliding connection with the said guide and aseparate cable connected with its top and a sheave journaled in saidframe supporting said cable, substantially as set forth.

6. The bucket bottom and the suspensory mechanism therefor having aframe with a sheave therein and link connections between said bottom andsaid frame, in combination with the bucket body, mechanism from whichsaid body is suspended having sliding connection with the said frame,and means to disconnect the bucket body and the bottom from theirsupports, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand to the foregoing specification.

WILLIAM E. LUDLOW.

Witnesses:

H. '1. FISHER, GEORGIA SCHAEFFER.

